Head injury is one of the major causes of death in the US, and of the head trauma survivors a large percentage developes post-traumatic epilepsy. However, the neurobiological basis of mechanical injury-induced neuronal death and malfunction is poorly understood. Our goal is to develop an in vitro model system of neuronal mechanical injury, consisting of the cutting of neuronal processes using lasers, and assess the trauma-induced changes by high resolution patch clamp recordings. By performing the laser surgery on single neurons under various conditions, we will be able to identify important functional changes in a highly controlled environment, which will help us to explore novel avenues for neuroprotective drug design.